Gas-holder



P. MOORE.

(No Model.)

GAS HOLDER.

Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

WIITN ESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK MOORE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,324, dated December9, 1890.

Apnlication filed January 2, 1890. $eria1 No. 335,621. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK MOORE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pitts burg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered a certain new and usefulImprovementin Gasllolders, of which improvement the following is aspecification.

The object of my invention is to increase the available capacity of agas-holder of determin ed dimensions, in which heating or illuminatinggas is received from a source of manufacture or supply and stored forconsumpt-ion by the provision of means for the compression of the gastherein to any desired degree.

To this end my invention,generallystated, consists in the combination,with a gas-holder and a tank or hydraulic seal, of mechanism fordepressing the holder within the tank by the application of power, inorder to effect the compression of volume of gas supplied to the tank.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central sectionthrough a gas-l older, illustrating an application of my invention; andFig. 2, a plan or top view of the same.

In the practice of my invent-ion the gasholder 1, which is of theordinary cylindrical type, is, as heretofore,located in a tank of wa ter2, and suitably guided, and also counterbalanced, if desired, so as tobe adapted to be moved freely up and down within a circular series ofposts 3, connected at their tops by bracing 4. An inlet-pipe 5, leadingfrom the source of generation or supply, and an outletpipe (5, leadingto a delivery or discharge main, extend upwardly through the tank withinthe holder,their open upper ends being located a short distance abovethe highest level of the water which is maintained in the tank.

Gas-holders of the above type, as ordinarily constructed, are raised andlowered by the inflow and egress of the gas, in accordance with thevarying conditions of supply and delivery, the holder being raised inand by the admission of gas thereto and correspondingly depressed as theis discharged, the pressure of the gas being uniformly in accordancewith the difference of level of the water in the tank within and withoutthe holder and with that at which it is delivered to the holder, and nomeans being provided for increasing the pressure when the holder hasbeenfitted to its maximum capacity.

My invention is designed to render a gasholder of determined volumeavailable for the supply of a greater volume of gas at any desiredpressure than is within the capacity of the holder at such pressure byeffecting the compression of the gas within the holder to acorrespondingly higher degree. I attain this object by mechanicallydepressing the holder in the tank, and thereby imparting to the holderthe double function of a gas-compressor and a gas-storage receptacle,the holder being similarly elevated after the discharge of a supply ofgas preparatory to the reception and compression of a succeeding supply.Any suitable mechanism for effecting the depression and elevation of thegas holder by the application of power thereto may be employed, and oneof several constructions adaptable for this purpose, which is shown inthe drawings, will now be described.

The main or driving shaft of asteam-engine 7 or other prime mover,located in convenient proximity to the gas-holder 1, is connected by abelt 8 or by suitable gearing with one of a series of horizontalcountershafts fl, which are mounted in bearings and arranged inpolygonal form around the gasholder 1,said counter-shafts beingconnected one with the other, so as to rotate simultaneously, bybevel-gearing 10 or by universaljoint couplings. Each of thecounter-shafts 9 carries a worm 11,which meshes with a wormwheel 12,journaled in a bearing 13, in which it is held as against longitudinalmovement and provided with an elongated hub, in which, and in theworm-wheel, there is cut centrally a substantial internal thread. Aseries of vertical screwslt is secured to and projects downwardly fromatrussed frame 15, fixed upon the top of the gas-holder 1, each of saidscrews engaging the internal thread of one of the worm-wheels. Therotation of the counter-shafts 9 by the engine in one or the otherdirection and the resultant rotation of the worm-wheels 12 will impartdownward or upward movement, as the case may be, to the screws lat andthe gas-holder, to which they are connected. In order to automaticallyregulate the degree of traverse thus imparted to the holder, apressure-regulator 1b, actuated by the pressure of gasin the outlet-pipe(5 of the gas-holder, may be connected to the 5 throttle-valve of theengine, so as to stop the same when the compression of the gas by thedownward movement of the holder has been effected to the desireddegree.-

I11 operation the gas-holder is raised-either m by the inflow of gas orby the engine ooinci= dentlywith theinflowofgas to its highest level,-

and when filled with gas to its maximum capacity the engine is reversedand the gasholder is depressed, the supply of gas being i5 continueduntil the gas is, in and by the downward movement of the holder,compressed to the required degree, when the engine is stopped either bythe. engineer or automatically by means of the pressure-regula- .2o tor,and the charge of gas is retained in the holder until delivered forconsumption, as required. After the delivery of the charge thegas-holder is again elevated to its highest level, and thereaftersimilarly depressed for the compression of the next charge. It will thusbe seen that the gas-holder and its motor constitute a gas-compressor,by the employment of which the capacity of the gasholder for delivery ata determined pressure is increased above that due to the volume of thegas-holder proportionately to the degree of compression of the gaseffected by the de-' pression of the gas-holder in the tank.

or hydraulic seal, and a iiiotor adapted to cf feet the compression ofthe contained gas and i the depression of the gas-holder in the tank bythe application of power to the gas-holder, substantially as set forth.

The combination of a gas-holder, a tank or hydraulic seal, a motoradapted to effect the compression of the contained gas and thedepression of the 'gas holder in the tank by the application of power tothe gas-holder, and a regulator actuated by the pressure in theoutlet-pipe of the gas-holder and controlling the supply of motive fluidto the motor, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a gas-holder, a tank or hydraulic seal, apower-applying motor, a

series of counter-shafts rotated by said motor, and gearing throughwhich rectilineal move-- ment is imparted to the gas-holder from themotor through the several counter-shafts, substantially as set forth.

I11 testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK MOORE.

YVitnesses:

J. SNoWDEN BELL, R. H. WHITTLESEY.

